When the Mind Hears

“When the Mind Hears” is part of an ongoing body of work in both photography and film. This work was motivated by the challenges I face in communicating to my daughter who is deaf. It stems from my observation and my own experiences of growing up different. This black-and-white film is an abstract response to visual memory and sensory development. (AH) “…with distance, respect and the unromantic gaze, children are observed: they run with an unshakable sense that the earth will support them. Underwater shots of a swan swimming, webbed feet pushing against the water moving it aside to propel its motion. There is more here than meets the eye. The maze of the land and of the sound throughout the work are ways toward making sense of ‘the world’ which appears in this work simultaneously as claustrophobic and infinite – but always intimate. Land, water, air – the elements of the sound and images. Slow motion observation of a toddler walking through and open outdoors space culminates in a realisation that sound too can come from watching. The final sequence is in silence.” – Marian McMahon, Independent Curator